COVENTRY City are pressing ahead with their attempts to sign Ollie Norwood despite still being restricted by a transfer embargo.

The Sky Blues have already tabled a formal bid for the young Manchester United midfielder by way of compensation for the out-of-contract player who has been offered new terms at Old Trafford but has said he wants to leave the Premier League giants.

“We put an offer in for Ollie Norwood but it didn’t realise the expectations of Man United,” revealed City’s development director Steve Waggott.

“I have been in email exchanges with the club but we’re still a little bit off what their valuation is and what ours is.”

The 21-year-old made 18 appearances and scored two goals for Andy Thorn while on loan from the Red Devils for the last three months of the season, quickly stamping his mark in the starting line-up and earning positive reviews for his performances.

And the Northern Ireland international is understood to be tempted to make a permanent switch to the Ricoh Arena in order to get regular first team football and play a style that suits his game rather than being farmed out on loan again in the hope of eventually being given his big break in the first team by Sir Alex Ferguson.

City will not be Norwood’s only option and a permanent move to the Championship would appear more tempting than dropping to League One.

But a hopeful Waggott said: “Ollie enjoyed his time playing for Coventry and obviously got the taste for playing football regularly.

“I think there are a few other clubs interested as well but we would dearly love to bring him back to Coventry. But again, it has got to be affordable within the financial constraints of the budget we’re working with.

“We have put a figure on what we value him at and if he decides where he wants to go in the next few weeks then it will probably end up with a compensation discussion. But we’d love to bring him back.”

If Norwood did decide to leave United and the two clubs couldn’t agree on a compensation fee then the matter would go to a tribunal.